Libby Lloyd leaps from her eye-catching debut directly into the Frizette

She scored by 10 lengths in her lone career appearance, and trainer Chad Brown did not hesitate to point her straight to Saturday's Group 1 feature at Belmont at the Big A. The undefeated Velora and Rum Twist loom as the primary rivals in the time-honored mile for 2-year-old fillies

Ten lengths and barely 1,200 meters were enough for Libby Lloyd to earn an immediate shot at the top level. The Bret Jones homebred filly will jump this Saturday straight from her crushing debut at Saratoga into the Frizette Stakes(G1-1,600 m, $500,000), one of the premier tests of the season for 2-year-old fillies at Belmont at the Big A.

Trainer Chad Brown knew he had an intriguing filly on his hands prior to her August 15 debut. What transpired that afternoon ultimately exceeded even his highest expectations.

Libby Lloyd took control of the lead immediately, posted the opening quarter-mile in 22.37 seconds, and did nothing but extend her advantage from there. She crossed the wire 10 lengths clear of her rivals, covering the distance in 1:10.80 and earning a 78 Beyer Speed Figure—the highest mark in the Frizette field, tied with two other entrants.

“We were optimistic because she had trained very well and we expected her to win. But the manner in which she did it left us more than pleased,” Brown acknowledged.

The daughter of Into Mischief has worked five times since, prompting her trainer to make a specific tactical decision with the Frizette in mind: moving her to Belmont Park early to let her get acquainted with the main track.

The filly responded by breezing 800 meters in 47.65 seconds. “My instinct told me I needed to give her a work over this track,” Brown explained. “At Saratoga, she trained extraordinarily well on the main track and not quite as sharply on the training track. Here, she worked magnificently and I was extremely pleased.”

Jockey Flavien Prat will carry the responsibility of guiding her from post position 4.

Libby Lloyd was bred by the Estate of Brereton C. Jones and is out of Indian Pride (Proud Citizen), a mare who was also conditioned by Brown and became a Group 2-placed competitor. The filly was named after Elizabeth Lloyd Jones, mother of Bret Jones, and is a half-sister to stakes winner and Group 1-placed Publisher (American Pharoah).

Velora Arrives Undefeated

The primary contrast between Libby Lloyd and Velora lies in experience. The Linda Rice trainee stands as the only stakes winner in the field and arrives with an unblemished record from two starts.

After scoring by 4 3/4 lengths against New York-bred fillies, she returned to Saratoga on September 4 for the Seeking the Ante Stakes (L) and took another forward step.

The daughter of Yaupon tracked the pace closely before drawing clear to beat Prime Aurora (Mind Control) by 2 1/4 lengths, stopping the clock for 1,200 meters in 1:10.56. She also earned a 78 Beyer Speed Figure, building on the 64 she earned on debut.

She cost $300,000 as a 2-year-old in training at OBS and will have Manny Franco in the irons from post position 7.

Another name to watch is Rum Twist, trained by Mark Hennig. The daughter of Mandaloun needed three tries to break her maiden, but her formlines feature solid benchmarks. On debut, she finished second to Angel of Kirk(Yaupon), then ran fourth behind Summer Starlet (City of Light), who subsequently won the Spinaway Stakes (G1), before drawing off by 5 3/4 lengths over 1,400 meters on September 5 at Saratoga.

That performance earned her a matching 78 Beyer Figure as well. Paco López will be in the saddle from post position 6.

A Major Step Up for All

Revenge of the Sis remains a maiden, but she debuted directly in the Sorority Stakes (L) over the mile at Monmouth Park, where she finished third after breaking slowly and spotting the lead 10 lengths.

The form of that race received a massive boost on Friday: the winner was Emphatic (Nyquist), who just defeated Summer Starlet in the Darley Alcibiades Stakes (G1) at Keeneland.

Furthermore, Revenge of the Sis is a full sister to Group 1 winner Dorth Vader and commanded $500,000 as a yearling.

Girls Wear Pearls (Hard Spun), meanwhile, arrives after securing her maiden win at Del Mar. Trainer Jena Antonucci started her campaign on the turf, but switching her to dirt yielded an immediate victory over 1,100 meters, and she will now tackle the mile distance for the first time.

The lineup is completed by fellow winners She’s a Twelve and Dotsy (Yaupon).

The Frizette forms part of the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Dozen program and will award the nominated winner a $30,000 entry fee credit toward the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1), along with $15,000 for second and $7,500 for third. It also distributes 10-5-3-2-1 qualification points toward the 2027 Kentucky Oaks (G1).

For Libby Lloyd, however, the most immediate task is far simpler: proving how much of the raw talent she displayed over those spectacular 1,200 meters at Saratoga can be stretched out to a mile, against stiffer competition, directly in a Group 1 feature.